Bottle crate



Feb. 26, 1935.

A. w. BRUCE 1,992,411

BOTTLE CRATE Filed Aug. 8, 1932 N A A 1% Patented Feb. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CRATE Albert W. Bruce, Ottumwa, Iowa Application August 8, 1932, Serial No. 627,919

I 4 Claims. (01. 22o 19) My invention relates to bottle crates particularly of the type made of wire. It is my object in the present invention to provide a crate in which bottles may be held separate from each other by means of wires which are arranged in upright position so that bottles will readily slide to position in their respective compartments without catching.

Another object is to provide such a crate which will hold the bottles so that they will not shake or rattle in their compartments.

Still a further object is to provide a crate'having .parts so constructed and arranged that it facilitates stacking.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved bottle crate.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an end view illustrating the stacking of the crates.

4 Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the corners, parts being broken away. 7

. Figure 5 is a top view of a modified form of my crate, parts being broken away; and

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the modified formof my device, parts being brokernaway.

Heretoiore in the manufacture of wire bottle crates it has been the practice to form the compartments for the separate bottles by providing horizontal cross wires arranged at different heights. jection to these crates.

In'inserting the bottles into the compartments it frequently occurs that when they are not dropped straight downwardly they catch on the cross wires and it is necessary to move them to get them dropped intoplace. In taking pop bottles from a capping machine and putting them into a crate this has caused considerable difficulty. The bottles come from the capping machine at a certain rate and if there is any delay in getting them into the crate the workman is likely to be unable to handle the bottles as fast as they are delivered to him.

It is a frequent practice to turn the bottles up side down in the crates for washing them. With the type of wire crate heretofore used bottles would frequently be slightly inclined so that the necks would catch on the cross wires and a This has resulted in considerable obmember 10 of each upper crate.

bottle resting on the cross wire in this way would not be washed.

I have provided a simple and eflicient structure which can be manufactured at a modest cost and which will eliminate these difficulties 5 rectangular bottom frame member 10, a similar top frame member 11 and may have one or more intermediate rectangular frame members indicated at 12 and 13.

At the sides are upright frame members 14 extending from the bottom frame member 10, upwardly to the top frame member 11 and welded to the inner faces of the members 10, 12, 13' and 11.

At the ends are upright frame members 15 welded to the inner-faces of the frame members 10, 12 and 13, preferably terminating at the frame 13. At the ends are also the upright frame members 16 welded to the inner faces of the 30 frames 10, 12, 13 and 11 and diverging from the lower to the upper ends as illustrated in Figure 3 to allow ample room at the top for the user to grasp the end of the frame member 11 between the members 16. 1

At each corner is a corner member 17 preferably of heavier wire, The lower end of each corner member 1'7 rests on the frame 10 as illustrated for instance in Figures 3 and 4 at A and welded thereto.

The corner members 17 are welded to the inner faces of the frame .members 12, 13 and 11 at the corner of the crate and are provided with down: turned ends 18 at the upper ends. The members 17 are inclined inwardly, diagonally of the crate in each instance so that the crate is somewhat smaller at the top than at thebottom in order to permit one crate to be stacked on another in such manner that the upwardly projecting ends of the corners 17 of each lower crate will project upwardly just inside the corners of the frame (See Figure 3.)

By abutting the corner members 1'7 against the top surface of the frame members 10, then inclining the corners 1'7 inwardly, the desired result can be readily attained.

Instead of forming the compartments for the .near the top of the crate.- The lower curved wires are indicated at 18 and 19. These are welded to the upper surface of the frame at the ends thereof as illustrated best in Figure 4 and are then curved as shown in Figure 4 to form oppositely spaced facing concaved sections 18a and, 19a. They are then arranged in short parallel portions 18?) and 1911 followed by additional curved sections and so on to the other end of the crate.

The upper curved wires are indicated at 20 and 21 and are preferably arranged parallel with the wires 18 and 19.

Pairs of cross wires 22'and 23 are arranged crosswise of the crate at the bottom of each com= partment and welded preferably to the upper sides of the bottom frame 10 and to the undersides of the wires 18 and 19. These pairs of wires 3 22 and 23 are close enough to prevent the passage of the necks of the bottles.

The upper wires 20 and 21 are arranged at such four of these upright wires 24 spaced equi-distantly around the compartment. Each compart-- ment at the ends and sides of the crate has an additional upright wire 25 which is made necessary by the fact that without it the bottle might catch on the frame members in being dropped into place.

The wires already mentioned serve this function also as well as serving to brace the frame members.

Cross wires 26 are laid on top of the wires and 21, welded thereto between the successive compartments from end to end of the crate, and are welded to the underside of the frame 13.

In Figures 5 and 6 I have shown a slightly modifled form of my invention. It is sometimes desirable to eliminate the wires 22 and 23 in order that a crate may be used in cooperation with certain kinds of bottle washing'machines.

In order tosupport the bottles in inverted position when the wires 22-23 are omitted, 1 arrange the sections 18a and 19a closer together, such sections being indicated at 27 in Figures 5 and 8, and instead of the wires 24 I use similar wires 28 with their lower ends in-curved as at 28a and welded to the sections 27.

The section 28 and the in-curved ends 280 are so arranged that the neck of the bottle will rest on the portions 28a but will allow free access to the mouth of the bottle.

I have found that there are many advantages in the use of a crate of the kind herein described.

It is much more convenient for putting the bottles into the compartments whether right side up or upside down, because the upright wires serve as smooth guides for their entire length and It will be noted that in my preferred form of structure the bottle compartments formed by the groups of upright wires are entirely separated so that one bottle can never strike another while in the crate, and this helps to avoid rattling and also prevents breakage.

It is to be understood that some changes may bemade in the detailsof construction and arrangement of parts of my improved crate, and

that it is my intention to cover by my claims any modifications of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be readily included within the scope and invention of my claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a bottle crate, comprising top and bottom and intermediate frame members, uprights connecting the frame members, bottom bottle supporting wires, upright wires spaced in groups for forming bottle compartments, horizontal wires connected with the upright wires of the compartments shaped to conform with parts of the compartments, and horizontal cross wires connecting said first horizontal wires at the upper parts of the compartments.

2. In a wire bottle crate, frame members, bottom bottle supporting wires, upright wires spaced in groups for forming bottle compartments, horizontal wires each connected with upright wires of the compartments and shaped to conform to parts of the compartments, and cross wires at the upper parts of the compartments connected to the last described wires.

3. In a wire bottle crate, top and bottom and intermediate frame members, uprights connecting the frame members, bottom wires arranged to form bottle supporting means, upright wires spaced to form bottle receiving compartments, horizontal wires connecting with the upright wires of the compartments and shaped to conform to parts of the compartments, and cross wires at the upper parts of the compartments connecting to the last described wires and to frame members.

4. In a bottle crate, side and end frame members, means for forming wire bottle compartments in rows, comprising an upper and a lower series of horizontal, spaced wires fixed at their' ends arranged below the top of the frame, an

upper and a lower series of horizontal spaced 'wires, the first series of upper wires being above ALBERT w. BRUCE. 

